The present invention relates generally to the field of electrosurgery, and more particularly to surgical devices and methods which employ high frequency electrical energy to resect, coagulate, ablate, and aspirate cartilage, bone and other tissue, such as sinus tissue, adipose tissue, or meniscus, cartilage, and synovial tissue in a joint. The present invention also relates to apparatus and methods for aggressively removing tissue at a target site by a low temperature ablation procedure, and efficiently aspirating products of ablation from the target site. The present invention further relates to an electrosurgical probe having a flow protection element for promoting plasma formation.
Conventional electrosurgical methods generally reduce patient bleeding associated with tissue cutting operations and improve the surgeon's visibility. These electrosurgical devices and procedures, however, suffer from a number of disadvantages. For example, monopolar electrosurgery methods generally direct electric current along a defined path from the exposed or active electrode through the patient's body to the return electrode, which is externally attached to a suitable location on the patient's skin. In addition, since the defined path through the patient's body has a relatively high electrical impedance, large voltage differences must typically be applied between the active and return electrodes to generate a current suitable for cutting or coagulation of the target tissue. This current, however, may inadvertently flow along localized pathways in the body having less impedance than the defined electrical path. This situation will substantially increase the current flowing through these paths, possibly causing damage to or destroying tissue along and surrounding this pathway.
Bipolar electrosurgical devices have an inherent advantage over monopolar devices because the return current path does not flow through the patient beyond the immediate site of application of the bipolar electrodes. In bipolar devices, both the active and return electrode are typically exposed so that they may both contact tissue, thereby providing a return current path from the active to the return electrode through the tissue. One drawback with this configuration, however, is that the return electrode may cause tissue desiccation or destruction at its contact point with the patient's tissue.
Another limitation of conventional bipolar and monopolar electrosurgery devices is that they are not suitable for the precise removal (ablation) of tissue. For example, conventional electrosurgical cutting devices typically operate by creating a voltage difference between the active electrode and the target tissue, causing an electrical arc to form across the physical gap between the electrode and tissue. At the point of contact of the electric arcs with tissue, rapid tissue heating occurs due to high current density between the electrode and tissue. This high current density causes cellular fluids to rapidly vaporize into steam, thereby producing a “cutting effect” along the pathway of localized tissue heating. The tissue is parted along the pathway of vaporized cellular fluid, inducing undesirable collateral tissue damage in regions surrounding the target tissue site.
In addition, conventional electrosurgical methods are generally ineffective for ablating certain types of tissue, and in certain types of environments within the body. For example, loose or elastic connective tissue, such as the synovial tissue in joints, is extremely difficult (if not impossible) to remove with conventional electrosurgical instruments because the flexible tissue tends to move away from the instrument when it is brought against this tissue. Since conventional techniques rely mainly on conducting current through the tissue, they are not effective when the instrument cannot be brought adjacent to or in contact with the elastic tissue for a long enough period of time to energize the electrode and conduct current through the tissue.
The use of electrosurgical procedures (both monopolar and bipolar) in electrically conductive environments can be further problematic. For example, many arthroscopic procedures require flushing of the region to be treated with isotonic saline, both to maintain an isotonic environment and to keep the field of view clear. However, the presence of saline, which is a highly conductive electrolyte, can cause shorting of the active electrode(s) in conventional monopolar and bipolar electrosurgery. Such shorting causes unnecessary heating in the treatment environment and can further cause non-specific tissue destruction.
Conventional electrosurgical cutting or resecting devices also tend to leave the operating field cluttered with tissue fragments that have been removed or resected from the target tissue. These tissue fragments make visualization of the surgical site extremely difficult. Removing these tissue fragments can also be problematic. Similar to synovial tissue, it is difficult to maintain contact with tissue fragments long enough to ablate the tissue fragments in situ with conventional devices. To solve this problem, the surgical site is periodically or continuously aspirated during the procedure. However, the tissue fragments often clog the aspiration lumen of the suction instrument, forcing the surgeon to remove the instrument to clear the aspiration lumen or to introduce another suction instrument, which increases the length and complexity of the procedure.
During certain electrosurgical procedures, for example in procedures which involve aspiration of relatively large volumes of fluid from a target site, generating and maintaining a plasma from an electrically conductive fluid in the vicinity of the active electrode can be problematic. This situation may be exacerbated by splitting power from the power supply between two different types of active electrode, e.g. an active electrode terminal adapted for aggressively removing connective tissue, such as ligament, tendon and cartilage, and an active electrode screen adapted for digestion of resected tissue fragments. The present invention overcomes problems related to generating and maintaining a plasma by providing a flow protection unit to provide regions of an active electrode assembly that are at least partially shielded from flow of an aspiration stream.
Furthermore, in certain electrosurgical procedures of the prior art, for example, removal or resection of the meniscus during arthroscopic surgery to the knee, it is customary to employ two different tissue removal devices, namely an arthroscopic punch and a shaver. There is a need for an electrosurgical apparatus which enables the aggressive removal of relatively hard tissues (e.g. fibrocartilaginous tissue) as well as soft tissue, and which is adapted for aspirating resected tissue, excess fluids, and ablation by-products from the surgical site. The instant invention provides a single device which can replace the punch and the shaver of the prior art, wherein tissue may be aggressively removed according to a low temperature ablation procedure, and resected tissue can be efficiently removed by a combination of aspiration from the site of tissue resection and digestion of resected tissue fragments.